The album "Tusk" is mostly famous for those songs that sound like Lindsey Buckingham took a heaping handful of coke and held a microphone up to his brain. What it isn't famous for is this song, which is a shame.The song is hazy and half-written, which throws the lyrics into stark relief. Christine McVie isn't here to build up another bulletproof pop edifice like "Don't Stop", she's just here to say her piece and get out. the music behind her tracks her every emotional turn perfectly. There is a live version of this song which some might consider a more definitive version. It actually replaced the album version on some reissues of Tusk, and it's easy to see why. In the Live version the song has been refashioned as something much sturdier. The melodic lines are played with a little more gusto and the song as a whole has more dynamics and a more satisfying ending. But I think that the way they music rises to such a stunning climax at the end misses the point of the song. It promises more than mere life can deliver.
The album version of the song floats along then begins a slow build at the end only to stop short, because this isn't a song about release, it's a song about being trapped in stasis. It's tentative. It's about working up the nerve to do the right thing, and failing yet again. There's a suggestion of something better around the corner, but that's all.
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